


Be Still (My Foolish Heart)

by In_love_with_writing002



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Slow Show - mia_ugly
Genre: Alternate Universe-Actors, Crowley is a walking anxiety attack, Dancing, Hozier is a god, M/M, Music, Pining, mia_ugly's Slow Show Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:20:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21788152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_love_with_writing002/pseuds/In_love_with_writing002
Summary: Avery wasn’t much of a dancer. But Crowley was positive that with the right music, he could get the spirit of some bright young twenty-something from the man. He never expected the entire experiment to get flipped around.Least of all to fucking Hozier.
Relationships: Avery Fell & Anthony Crowley, Avery Fell/Anthony Crowley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59
Collections: Slow Show Metaverse





	Be Still (My Foolish Heart)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Slow Show](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20395261) by [mia_ugly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mia_ugly/pseuds/mia_ugly). 



> Title comes from “Almost (Sweet Music)” by Hozier.
> 
> Please go read Slow Show by mia_ugly if you haven’t yet, it’s an absolute joy and will change your life. Also this fic will make very little sense if you haven’t read it yet.

Avery wasn’t much of a dancer. He’d told Crowley this himself, and was promptly subjected to hours of coaxing, trying to get him to do the Gavotte. Crowley was positive, just _knew,_ that with the right music, he could get the spirit of some bright young twenty-something from the man. He never expected the entire experiment to get flipped around.

Least of all to fucking _Hozier._

(Let’s take it back a little, shall we? To a small cast party, before they could be together openly, before Crowley had found a ten on his pain scale in the way Avery tore his blackened heart from him with two words at a bandstand.)

“ _Fine_ ,” Avery said, setting his drink down. (Crowley had expected an aggressive slam, with the way he chugged it, but Avery set it down gently, using his pinky as a cushion, and if that didn’t make Crowley’s heart skip a beat.) “I’ll dance, but on one condition.” He swung a finger in front of Crowley’s face, a mischievous smile on his own features. “ _You_ have to dance first.”

“Oh, absolutely _not,_ ” Crowley scoffed. “You wouldn’t catch me dead out there.” Avery tilted his head to the side endearingly.

“Oh?”

“Not if you demand it like that, at least.” He felt smug. They’d been bantering like this for a while, rounds of scotch flowing over the hours, the least Crowley thought he could contribute to the party before he could _finally_ get out, get away from everyone, maybe convince Avery to go back with him, do _something_ with him, god he thought he was over this, the longing, the _starving_ _for his touch_ -

“Well I’ll ask nicely then.” Avery cleared his throat, drawing Crowley’s attention to him and away from his head. (He made a mental note to call Pepper and work out some redirection meditation or some mindfulness bullshit he would hate anyway.) “ _Crowley,”_ Avery looked at him with playful eyes. “Will you dance, so I have some blackmail material if anything you see me do winds up on the internet?” Crowley stifled a laugh, carefully steeling his expression.

“N-“ the word died on his lips because Az was swaying a little closer, making an aborted gesture to say _I’m not done._

“Please?” Fuck. The way Avery’s face formed that word would get him in trouble one day. (He wouldn’t care, he _wouldn’t,_ he’d do _anything-_ )

The next few minutes were a blur, of Crowley sighing, saying something snarky in agreement to cover how anxious he felt in the moment, needing distance from him, _space,_ and fuck it, right? He’d had a few drinks, he could loosen up enough to dance.

_Find the beat, and just move,_ he told himself, sauntering casually to the dance floor, ignoring Anathema's scandalized gasp. She had asked him to dance moments before after all, and he’d turned her down. He saw her look over Crowley’s shoulder and glare, then stalk over to where she would presumably be chewing out Avery and asking him how he got him to dance. There was a sultry voice singing over the speakers. Crowley recognized it from when “ _Take me to Church”_ was all over the radio and Crowley had listened to it every time, (old queer he was) and had felt something like hope. The song was some upbeat number with a chorus that wouldn’t stop _repeating_.

“ _I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit every day with someone new._

_I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit every day with someone new._

_I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit every day with someone new-“_

Crowley was going to wind up singing along, he just knew it. But it had a nice beat, and Crowley _did_ know how to dance, even if he hadn’t really danced in twenty five years. He let the music carry him, felt it course through his blood and mix with the alcohol until he was cranking his awkward shuffled up to slides, his limbs loosening up, the awful yoga classes pouring strength into his muscles and pushing him around in what he hoped was something not unbearable to look at, though it felt like it was little more than him stumbling around and trying not to hit Newt and Shadwell where they were talking off to the side. (The old man had taken a liking to the kid, and Newt thought it was entertaining, so he indulged him.) He cast a nervous glance at Az, just to see his reaction—

_“I wake at the first cringe of morning_

_And my heart’s already sinned_

_How pure, how sweet_

_the love, Aretha_

_That you would pray for him.”_

Avery was staring, he was watching with the softest little smile on his face, and Crowley suddenly needed— ( _I fall in love just a little oh a little bit every day-)_ he needed— He needed a cigarette. Crowley swallowed, straightening himself and his coat, sauntered back to Avery like his world didn’t just go sideways for a minute. “How was that, Angel?” He asked casually, hoping to God, Satan, _whoever_ was listening, that his feelings didn’t show on his face, that he wasn’t making it obvious that he was absolutely ass over tits for this man and his silent, approving stare.

“Hm,” Avery tapped his chin. “Not bad. Less dancing, kind of vague flailing.” Crowley huffed a laugh (this was normal, this was comfortable, it was _good._ )

“Think you could do better?” Avery rolled his eyes.

“Not at all. You definitely showed me.”

“You promised! I met the conditions!” Crowley felt like he’d been robbed. “Went and made a fool of myself for nothing, did I?”

“Not at all! I thoroughly enjoyed myself.” Avery sent him a secretive smile. “You dance just as,” He gestured vaguely. ( _Love with every stranger-)_ “ _Snakelike_ as I knew you would.” Crowley laughed, breathless with anxiety and mixed emotions.

“Is that a good thing?” Avery licked his lips and Crowley forced himself not to follow that line, not to give in— ( _-the stranger the better,)_

“Not necessarily good or bad I’d say. Very you.” And oh, _oh,_ now Crowley had to go, he needed a break now, needed to get away from that relaxed smile and comfortable posture and far too inviting lips.

“Huh. Well I’m going out for a minute,” _don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it._ “care to join me?” _Idiot_.

“Better not.” What a godsend that was, turning him down. Crowley pushed away from the bar and nodded, going outside to clear his head, to smoke, to lose the memory of Avery’s gaze on him in a haze of nicotine, and to get away from that _fucking song_.

_“I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit every day with someone new._

_I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit every day with someone new._

_I fall in love just a little oh, a little bit_

_every day with someone new.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics in the fic come from “Someone New” by Hozier
> 
> I fell absolutely in love with this verse, it was absolutely wonderful, and I hope to all things holy that this holds some kind of significance to anyone who also loves this verse.


End file.
